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Politics Roundup: Cowardice and Presidential bids

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul doesn't have as strong a chance at beating a Democrat for the White House in 2016 as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush do, according to the latest Iowa Poll.

Politics Roundup: Cowardice and Presidential bids

The American Red Cross held its "Gabrielle Giffords Honorary Save-a-Life Saturday" event on Saturday in an effort to raise awareness of lifesaving first aid and CPR skills. Above, U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth talks about the importance of public saftey and preparedness. (By David Lee Hartlage, special to the Courier-Journal) Mar. 19, 2011(Photo: CJ)

Rep. John Yarmuth took Congress to task this week, calling it “cowardice” that it had not taken action to curb gun violence.

“Enough with the moments of silence. It’s time for a moment of action from Congress to prevent gun violence,” the Louisville Democrat said on the House floor a day after a student was killed, a teacher injured and the teenage gunman killed himself at Reynolds High School in Troutdale, Ore.

Yarmuth was among a number of government officials, including President Barack Obama, who have urged tougher gun restrictions after a number of recent mass shootings.

Yarmuth and other Democrats have tried without success to pressure Republican House leaders to consider a number of bills that would toughen the nation's gun laws.

• Who’s more electable?: Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul doesn't have as strong a chance at beating a Democrat for the White House in 2016 as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush do, according to the latest Iowa Poll.

More Iowa Republican primary voters consider Christie and Bush electable, according to the survey conducted by The Des Moines Register, a sister paper of The Courier-Journal.

Although Christie and Bush had the highest unfavorability ratings, that did not hinder their stronger standings in the potential 2016 Republican presidential field.

When asked which one or two candidates had the best chance of defeating the Democratic nominee, 19 percent of Iowa's 2014 primary voters picked Christie, while 16 percent picked Bush. Paul was tied for third at 13 percent with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.